


Never Meant to Happen

by Mid_Split



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mid_Split/pseuds/Mid_Split
Summary: Revonnahgander culture is sparsely known, and Rook fails to mention an important aspect of it.
Relationships: Rook Blonko & Ben Tennyson, Rook Blonko/Ben Tennyson
Comments: 61
Kudos: 227





	1. Chapter 1

The day had been quiet and uneventful for Ben Tennyson. Anyone who knows him also knows that he can’t stand quiet or uneventful days. The omnitrix wearer had reported to the Plumber Headquarters after a quick stop at Mr. Smoothy’s, hoping to be sent off to deal with any trouble that decided to rear its ugly head in Bellwood. But to Ben’s major surprise and disappointment, Grandpa Max happily informed him that there was yet to be anything of a serious enough magnitude that Ben and his partner, Rook, would need to be sent out for. 

That meant that Ben had an extremely boring day off, and had no idea how to kill the time. He hadn’t realized just how busy he’d been in the last month, with nutjobs like Khyber and many others constantly causing mayhem. As much as he wanted to rush home and spend the day playing Sumo Slammers, his mom would instead insist on him doing house chores with his time off instead. 

  
“Why am I the only one that gets to be bored today?! Everyone else actually has stuff to do while I’m walking around the HQ annoying everyone!” Ben whined, moping around the kitchen where his grandpa was currently making lunch. A lunch that would likely make him throw up, therefore he had no intention on actually eating. The teenage hero simply didn’t know what else to do with his time. 

“Ben, I’m surprised that you’re complaining about being bored. You should at least be happy that Bellwood has the opportunity to relax. It’s what we all fight for, and why our job exists in the first place. Why don’t you go take a hike or something?” Grandpa Max inquired with a forked brow.

“… Are you telling me to get outta your sight? Aw man am I annoying you too Grandpa?” Ben flopped down onto a chair and sunk down on it, dejected.

“No Ben. I mean you should enjoy the peaceful day and feel like a regular citizen for once. I know you’d normally be hanging out with your cousin and Kevin on a day like today, but it’s not like you don’t have any friends. Why don’t you see what Rook is up to? You’re always late for duty, so I’d told him that you two had the day off, and he left before you showed up. He seemed a little out of it today, so he is likely in his room tinkering with his proto-tool...” Grandpa Max prattled on while adding weird ingredients to a sauce pan.

“Huh, he ditched out before I showed up? I guess I really should stop being so late all the time. He probably secretly hates putting up with me. Alright thanks grandpa, I’ll go annoy him now!” At that, Ben shot up from the chair and was quickly on his way to find Rook’s room in the headquarters. 

“Aw crap, I should have asked grandpa where Rook’s room is.” The omnitrix wearer wandered through the living quarter’s hallways of the plumber’s base, glancing at each door number and occupant’s name. Rook had been assigned as Ben’s partner about a month ago, and they’d become surprisingly good friends since, barring a couple arguments which Ben guiltily admits to have provoked. Rook was a polite and uptight dude, but Ben liked to think that he’d influenced the proud Revonnahgander into easing up a little bit and enjoying life. They’d begun hanging out after putting baddies behind bars, and he was pretty certain he’d gotten Rook addicted Mr. Smoothy’s, just as he was. Ben mentored him in Earth traditions (if one could consider Ben’s lifestyle “typical earth tradition”), and familiarized him with Earth expressions and figures of speech. 

Ben finally came across a door with the name ‘Rook Blonko’ engraved into a little plaque on it. He knocked on the door and waited. And waited some more. 

Didn’t grandpa say he was gonna be here? The door says this is his room…

There was a barely audible shuffling noise heard from far within the room, indicating that someone, likely Rook, was there. Why wasn’t he answering the door? Was he currently indecent? Attending to private matters? Simply shifting in his sleep? He hoped that it wasn’t because he knew Ben was at his door and didn’t want to put up with him. Deciding that he’d waited more than long enough for his partner to open it, he put the omnitrix up to the scanner beside the door, having learned a while ago that it was basically a skeleton key to many of the lower security locks within the Plumber’s base. Intending to apologize to his partner for his tardiness and arrogance as of late, he walked in as the door slid open.

Other than a small red night light that Rook had bought some time ago from Undertown, the place was completely devoid of light. Maybe Rook really wasn’t there and the shuffling noise had been his imagination? The door slid shut behind Ben as he took a couple steps forward, and he called out for him. When no one responded, he suddenly felt like a huge douchebag for invading his partner’s personal space. Ben made to turn around and leave when a large, sweaty, calloused hand grabbed his wrist and threw him to the ground. Completely taken by surprise, Ben’s head hit the hard steel floor with a loud thud.

“Augh! What the hell?! Rook is that you?” The teen hero gasped in shock, not expecting to be assaulted. It didn’t help that he still couldn’t see anything around him either. Ben hesitantly sat himself upright with his palms, only to be met face to face with the fiercely glowing eyes of his partner.

“Rook? I know it was totally wrong of me to just barge into your room like that. I just wanted to see if you were up for hanging around town for the day since we’re off?” Ben felt really bad, partly because the Revonnahgander was not typically an angry person and it took a lot of effort to get him as mad looking as he was now, and partly because his head had just taken a painful blow… Rook must be really sick of putting up with Ben. He continued to stare down at his intruding partner with a vicious glare. As the omnitrix wearer’s eyes began to adjust to the dim red lighting, he noticed that his partner wore only a pair of loose black sweat pants, as opposed to his usual full-body proto-tech armour. 

I’m such an idiot. What kind of doofus just breaks into anyone’s personal space without an extremely important reason? That was something I definitely should have thought through! He’s not saying anything either. You’ve really done it this time, Ben…

“Hey Rook I’m sorry for breaking into your room. I swear I wasn’t trying to intrude on you, and I totally wasn’t thinking right. And I’m sorry for always being late in the mornings, and always parading around like I own the universe. I was just gonna leave I swear… Rook?” As Ben rambled on, he became more and more wary of the Revonnahgander looming above him. Something seemed off. He’d almost expected Rook to have said something and forgiven him by now. Then again, he hadn’t expected to be slugged to the ground by a half-naked, sweaty, and feral looking Revonnahgander. This day seemed to be throwing random wild cards left right and centre.

Ben began to awkwardly stand up, intending on leaving his deranged looking partner alone in favour of clearing things up with him the next day, but was again unpleasantly surprised when Rook slammed a palm against his chest, sending Ben back to the floor, his head roughly colliding with it again. Was he trying to make him a brain-dead vegetable? The teenage hero’s vision swam with multi-coloured dots, he couldn’t see straight, and he felt like he was about to throw up. Ben was starting to get a really bad feeling about his situation; there was more to it than he had initially assumed. Why wouldn’t Rook just talk to him?

“Okay dude I get that you’re mad but you really don’t need to give me a concussion for it! If you’re not gonna communicate with me now then let me go and we’ll talk whenever you’re ready to tell me what your damn problem is! Because I don’t think I’m so horrible of a person that I warrant an assault from you!” Ben angrily pushed himself up for the second time and placed his palms on Rook’s chest, intending on pushing him away and leaving to either vent to his grandpa and Gwen, or go out and binge eat chili fries in his car.

Neither of those things were going to happen any time soon as the Revonnahgander grabbed the teenage hero’s fringe. With a grunt, Rook deliberately slammed his partner’s head onto the steel floor for the third time, with twice as much force as the first two times. Ben cried out in pain as his mind reeled and the wind was knocked out of him. His hands flew to his head as he gasped and suddenly found it extremely hard to breathe. Shortly after his vision faded to black as he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is graphic, just a heads up. As in rapey graphic. There is rape.

Ben regained consciousness a couple minutes later. The first thing he was greeted with was an intense headache. His head lolled to the side and his eyelids erratically fluttered, trying to regain his bearings. He noticed his arm lying in a pool of blood and realized that his head injury was even more serious than he had initially assumed. He painstakingly turned his head again, this time being greeted with his assailant’s overly concentrated face staring at him. Ben gasped in surprise and slight trepidation, but didn’t move for fear of being throttled again. The omnitrix wielder looked down and realized that Rook was kneeling in between his legs, hands on the floor at either side of his waist, trapping him in a compromising position. 

  
“Why?” Ben weakly croaked, still unmoving from his sprawled out position on the ground. He couldn’t even get in a surprise kick to his partner’s abdomen. This couldn’t really be the polite, kind and understanding guy that he’d come to like over the past month; it seemed like a whole new side of him that came out of nowhere. Ben wasn’t sure what the rationale was behind the revonnahgander’s behaviour, but there just had to be some crazy explanation for it. The teen hero didn’t know what was going to happen next; Rook continued to stare at Ben, feline-like instincts calculating his next move. Was he going to strike again?

  
Suddenly making a decision, one of Rook’s hands made its way towards the hem of Ben’s shirt, sliding beneath the fabric and up his toned stomach. At this, Ben felt a horrible chill as his eyes widened, and it wasn’t because Rook’s hand was cold. No, it was still warm and sweaty, but it also answered his question on what was supposed to happen next. Not wanting to believe it, the omnitrix wielder decided that he’d given the revonnahgander plenty of opportunity to quit his assault on him, and that it was time to go alien on his crazy ass. He grasped the hand that had begun feeling him beneath his shirt and removed it.

  
“Alright Rook that’s enough! I thought that I’d come to know you really well. I thought we were friends. I’m not taking any more abuse from you without a real fight!” Ben exclaimed while reaching for his omnitrix. His partner, however, had reflexes that were far greater than the teen hero’s due to extensive Plumber's Academy training. He was quick to grasp both of Ben’s wrists in a bruising grip. Rook slammed them against the floor and snarled, baring his teeth while Ben cried out in agony as he felt his right wrist dislocate, his left only spared due to the omnitrix protecting it. Tears began streaming down his face, and he realized that he’d never truly been ready to deal with anything thrown at him, like he’d always boasted about.

  
Rook leaned down towards Ben’s now terrified figure and began to taste the defenseless hero’s neck region. Ben squeezed his eyes shut and tried to bring his legs toward himself, like a frightened hedgehog curling into a ball, but his partner’s stiff form kept him trapped underneath. He let out a small shaken cry at the unwanted pleasure, inadvertently egging his aggressor on. The revonnahgander’s hands released Ben’s injured wrists, figuring they were no longer a threat, and instead began groping Ben’s hips and butt with one hand while sliding the other up his shirt again. This time, Ben made no move to remove them, both because he was physically unable to at this point, and because he knew that Rook would hurt him more.

  
His assailant’s wandering hands began pushing his shirt up until his nipples were exposed. He moved his attention from Ben’s neck to the exposed buds, biting on one while fondling the other. To say that the omnitrix wielder was unhappy was a complete understatement. How far was this going to go? Was Rook going to just murder him after and make it look like an accident? An hour ago he would have eaten his shoe before thinking anything like that about his partner. How could he do any of this when he’d always been a by-the-book ever vigilant plumber, dedicated to helping those in need? Right now, instead of helping those in need, he was doing the exact opposite! 

  
“Ah… why are you… why are you doing this to me? I don’t… understand anything…” Ben hated how his voice came out raspy, weak, and desperate. He couldn’t control the annoying moans he’d begun letting out either. This wasn’t what he wanted his first sexual experience to be. As expected, he received no response, only low, pleased rumbling growls from the mouth that was now kissing and suckling on his abdominal area. The hands then moved to Ben’s trousers, slipped two fingers beneath his briefs, and began pulling them down. The fight that had escaped the teen hero returned in full force as he cried out in alarm.

  
“ _Agh_ don’t strip my clothes off damn it! You’re a psychopath! Stop touching me Blonko!” Ben screeched as he squirmed beneath Rook. At the mention of the assailant’s given name, his head whipped up with a menacing glare.

  
“Shut up.” Rook growled lowly at his partner. Ben’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened, incredulous that after all the silence he’d been given, these were the first words to come out of the revonnahgander’s mouth. One hand grabbed the shocked hero’s throat, a silent threat delivered along with the most impatient, sultry and scorching glare he’d ever seen in his life. The omnitrix wielder was pushed back down onto the floor as his deranged partner continued pulling his pants and briefs down, off of his ankles, and then thrown to the side. The revonnahgander grabbed Ben by his hips and pulled him forward, making the scared teen squeal with fright. He only had his t-shirt on, which was pushed up past his chest already. Ben’s bare rump was nestled up against Rook’s still clothed groin, which obviously held a very restrained hard-on. He bent down and, much to the omnitrix wearer’s chagrin, captured his lips in a dominating and bruising kiss.

  
“Mmmh! Mmm…” Ben’s protests were muffled by the aggressive lips against his. He felt a tongue trying to enter his mouth and in a last ditch effort of rebellion, clamped his teeth and lips tightly, preventing entrance. Rook, completely unimpressed by the resistance, grabbed Ben’s member, successfully making him open his mouth and cry out. His tongue slipped into the teen’s mouth, invading and exploring, while he stroked the hardening cock, eliciting pleasured moans from the boy beneath him. Ben still couldn’t believe that his world was being shattered before him, and by someone he’d really liked and trusted. The revonnahgander began slowly grinding against the hero’s butt, groaning at the contact. Ben had never been this scared and upset in his life, and he cringed at the feeling. The violating hands roughly groped at Ben’s body, taking in the feel of his soft skin. Suddenly, they moved from his form and a shifting sound of fabric was heard, and while Ben didn’t even have the strength to lift his head anymore, he knew exactly what his partner was doing. 

  
Rook pulled his sweat pants and briefs down mid-thigh and again loomed over Ben. The revonnahgander gazed heatedly at his partner with manic eyes that he’d never been subject to before, while Ben returned a distressed and exhausted scowl, in too much pain to do anything else. His legs were then lifted off the ground from beneath Rook’s larger form, and held in place atop his broad shoulders. Seeing the well-endowed member hovering near his posterior triggered more waterworks from Ben’s eyes. 

  
_I totally have it coming for me now and nothing is going to change this…_

  
A calloused hand was brought down towards Ben’s face, making him squint his eyes and flinch, expecting to be hit. Rook’s hand instead swept the rivulets of tears off of his face, and proceeded to coat his member with the salty liquid. The teen hero gawked in astonishment at the crude act, feeling disturbed that his tears were going to be used as a horrible lubricant. Rook leaned forward toward Ben’s left ear, biting and sucking on the shell of it while the owner of it winced and regrettably moaned. 

  
“Bite your tongue, Ben.” Rook growled into his ear in a commanding tone, scaring the hell out of the teen hero. He hadn’t expected to hear his partner say anything else to him, considering the only two words he’d even spared him that day were harsh and only prompted after Ben had been yelling for a while. He was confused as to what he meant by the command; he thought that he’d been pretty (forcibly) compliant with whatever Rook wanted from him after sustaining multiple injuries. 

  
Then in one fluid movement, his ass was grabbed, pulled forward, and spread open in unison with a savage thrust of Rook’s hips. 

  
Ben was certain that he’d never screamed so loud in his life; nothing could have prepared him for the horrible feeling of being violated in a place he himself had only ever touched to clean. Rook at least had an atom of humanity left, giving him an ever polite warning before forcing his cock into Ben’s unprepared hole. He wished that Rook had at least had the common courtesy of preparing him at this point. The distressed hero began hitting his head on the bloodied steel floor in an attempt to lose consciousness again, and get away from the excruciating pain of being betrayed in the worst way possible. Rook placed his hand beneath Ben’s head, causing him to cry out in further misery. 

  
“You were perfectly fine dislocating one of my wrists, bruising both of them, and giving me multiple concussions on your own terms, what’s so different now?!” Ben wailed. It figured that if he was cruel enough to assault the teen hero, then he’d be cruel enough to keep him awake for it too. The revonnahgander began thrusting in and out of the sobbing hero with feral growls and grunts. Ben’s body chafed against the part of the flooring that wasn’t covered in his blood as he was plowed into by his partner. He was nauseous, having trouble breathing, still sporting a horrible headache, every part of his body was in pain, and his throat was sore and dry from screaming. Rook began nipping and sucking at Ben’s neck as he picked up the speed and roughness of his thrusts, making the poor teen cry out in anguish. He was surely bleeding from the inside by now. 

  
It felt like Rook had been violating him for hours, when the invading cock in his rump unexpectedly hit a spot that made Ben cry out in pleasure and painfully arch his back. Rook had released enough pre-cum to work as a lubricant, letting his large cock fit inside Ben’s rectum with less pain on Ben’s part. The revonnahgander let out a pleased growl as he readjusted their positions so that Ben’s butt was higher in the air, and thrust in again, hitting the same spot dead on. The pleasure pushed the multi-coloured dots marring his vision from his head injuries away, and replaced them with white flashes. He lay in place as he was taken, injured arms still splayed out on the ground above his head. He mewled in pleasure and pain, distraught over his body reacting positively to the intrusion buried in his rear. 

  
“Ah! Ah- Rook! Please…” Ben was completely disoriented, and didn’t even realize he was begging. Begging for everything to be over, but also begging for the pleasure. He was too unhinged to even know what reality was anymore. Finally, Rook lurched forward and bit into the teen hero’s shoulder, sinking his canines in and drawing blood like a wild animal. Ben cried out for the final time and released on both of their stomachs. With a barbaric roar, the revonnahgander thrust into Ben’s tight clenching passage a few more times before seating himself to the hilt and cumming deep into his partner’s rectum. Both of them panted loudly, trying to catch their breaths. Rook set Ben back onto the floor, eased up his bruising grip on the teen’s hips, and promptly passed out on top of him. Ben lost consciousness immediately after.


	3. Chapter 3

Rook lay on top of Ben, both passed out for the remainder of the day, through the night, and until early dawn when Rook finally stirred. The room was still dark save for the red light due to the absence of windows, and the revonnahgander was extremely confused as to what he was doing on the floor instead of his bed. 

_What time is it? What did I even do with my day off? Did I just take a spontaneous nap on the floor? I must have really needed it; I do not think I have felt this relaxed since I was still living on Revonnah._

  
He pushed himself up on his hands and knees, only just realizing how sore and stiff his entire body was, and then saw the abused form that he had been unknowingly laying on. Eyes widening as extremely jaded memories rushed into his brain at full force, he immediately moved off of Ben and shakily stood up, gaping at the horror-inducing mess that he’d made of his best friend and partner. There was a terrifying amount of blood covering the floor, as well as the omnitrix wearer himself. The memories didn’t even seem like his; it was as if he was seeing himself being controlled by an omnipotent being, and he didn’t want to believe that it was his body that defiled his partner in such a savage way. Limbs trembling, he crouched down next to Ben and put a hand to his forehead.

  
“Ben? Ben please wake up. I am so sorry! Bralla-Da please be okay!” Rook grew even more frantic as the teen hero showed zero response. The revonnahgander rushed to his dresser and changed into his proto-armor. Unsure of the extent that he’d injured his partner or the amount of blood he had already lost, and figuring he’d do more harm to him if he tried to redress him, he grabbed a spare blanket from his dresser and wrapped Ben’s lower torso in it. Rook picked him up bridal style, opened his door and flew out down the halls. He went straight for the infirmary, ignoring the few plumbers that he passed along the way. 

  
In no time, he made it to the infirmary in a distraught and panting state, yelling to the nurses in the vicinity that Ben Tennyson was in critical condition and needed treatment immediately. Automatically putting the omnitrix wearer as a top priority, several of them rushed up to Rook with a hospital bed, and he set the unconscious boy down on it. As soon as the nurses had Ben in their care, Rook took off like someone had set him on fire, fleeing down the halls as if they’d already figured out who had done the damage.

_What have I done…_

* * *

“Magister Tennyson! Ben was admitted to the ICU on base just half an hour ago. I don’t think he’s ever been hurt this badly before!” Magister Patelliday blurted out as he ran into the control room where Max was working. The man in question whirled around with wide eyes, barely even registering anything else his co-worker was relaying to him. Without a word, Max left his station and ran for the infirmary to see his grandson. Completely out of breath just as a certain revonnahgander was earlier, he reached the infirmary’s front desk. 

  
“Where is my grandson?!” Max slammed his hands against the desk, winded from the run.

  
“Ben Tennyson is in ICU-02!” The receptionist hurriedly replied, scared to see the man of high authority so uncharacteristically angry. The universal hero’s grandfather sped in the direction of the ICU, barely missing the shoulders of nurses and doctors moving through the halls. Upon seeing a label with ICU-02 above a pair of doors, he opened them and barged in. There were multiple nurses and doctors surrounding the hospital cot with his grandson, and Max wanted to throw up when got close enough to see the blood and bruises on the teen hero. A nurse on standby noticed his presence, and he immediately targeted her for interrogation.

  
“What happened to my grandson?! Relay a full report on what is known!” Max didn’t like using his authority to achieve things this way, but he hoped that they could understand his reasoning for his behaviour. He’d apologize to the workers here later.

  
“Magister Tennyson… please calm yourself, you are in an emergency room. We haven’t completely examined Ben yet. Right now he is suffering from a class III hemorrhage; he has lost between 32 and 36 percent of his blood and is currently undergoing a blood transfusion. It seems that he has been slowly bleeding out for at least the past 14 hours before he was brought here. Had he arrived here any later, he may have fallen into class IV. A blood transfusion, along with fluid resuscitation is our top priority before a full-body examination is done. However, several samples of… seminal fluid… were collected from his lower torso beforehand. If you could get them to the forensics lab and have the DNA tested, we’d be one step closer to a full report on your grandson.” The nurse finished with chagrin. She headed for a table, grabbed a tray that held a number of little sealed tubes off of it, and gave them to Max.

  
“One more thing, nurse. Who brought my grandson here this morning?” He asked, his face grave and stony as he mentally put together bits and pieces of a horrifying puzzle.

  
“His partner did, but he took off before anyone could ask him anything. Ben’s lower torso was wrapped in a blanket; he only had a t-shirt on before we redressed him in a hospital gown.” The nurse then left the plumber to assist the other nurses and doctors. Max briskly walked out of the ICU as he pulled out his phone, and headed towards the forensics lab.

  
Gwen and Kevin sat in the courtyard at Friedkin University eating lunch together, as the former had a spare block at the same time that the latter had his lunch break. It had been around a month since the two had left their life of constant alien ass-kicking in favour of trying to live semi-normally. It was fairly quiet compared to what they’d been used to dealing with. Suddenly, a ringing was heard from within a schoolbag. Both of them instinctively grabbed their phones to check.

  
“It’s mine,” Gwen said to Kevin before answering her phone, “Gwen speaking. Grandpa? Slow down, I have no idea what you just said. Ben? Oh my god. Oh my god. We’re coming right now.” She ended the conversation, and broke into a cold sweat.

  
“Gwen what’s with the look? It’s like you just saw Toepick’s face!” Kevin began laughing, but it immediately died down when Gwen abruptly stood up, grabbed her things, and began speed-walking away.

  
“Hey can’t you take a joke? What was that call about anyway?” Kevin implored as he raced after his girlfriend, who looked like a marching one-woman army.

  
“Kevin, it’s Ben! Grandpa Max just called me. I haven’t even heard him half as serious and distraught since we were kids, when Vilgax was first coming for the omnitrix! Ben is in the ICU at the Plumber’s base getting a blood transfusion. He’s in critical condition, worse than he’s ever been in his life. He was violently assaulted but I know there’s WAY more to this than grandpa told me. We’re going there now!” By the time Gwen was finished talking, she was close to tears.

  
“Benji?! Holy shit. My car is really close by!” Without another word, the two sprinted to Kevin’s car and sped to the Plumber’s Base.

  
The duo arrived at the infirmary in record time. They went right for the room that grandpa Max had given Gwen, only to find a nurse and a Doctor both standing in front of the closed doors. Upon seeing Ben’s two friends, the Doctor was quick to address them. 

  
“Please understand that Ben Tennyson is not to be disturbed right now; he has just undergone a critical blood transfusion. He has been unconscious since even before he arrived here. I heavily advise against visitors in his condition.” The doctor firmly stood his ground.

  
“Sorry but we don’t care, doc. Ben is our best friend. Outta the way!” Kevin exclaimed. Him and Gwen then shoved the two hospital workers aside and opened the doors, ignoring their indignant and angry yells as Kevin swiftly closed them behind him. The two were beside Ben in an instant, and the nurses watching over him give them unimpressed stares.

  
“You two need to leave, we are not supposed to have anyone else in this room.” One of them stated with an exasperated sigh. Gwen stared at them all as her eyes began to glow pink.

  
“ _If you value your lives, you will all leave immediately._ ” As the angry anodite spoke, her head tilted downward, giving them all a sinister look that could make Vilgax hesitate. They were all out of the room in less than 10 seconds, leaving the unconscious teen alone with his cousin and best friend. Gwen’s expression faltered as she dropped to her knees beside the hospital cot, and gently grasped Ben’s hand with a teary-eyed expression. Kevin knelt down beside her with his hand on her shoulder as he stared at his best friend with a look of shock and disbelief.

  
Only a few minutes passed before the doors opened, and a doctor with a clipboard walked in. He stopped short, surprised at the lack of nurses that were supposed to be monitoring Ben Tennyson, and wary that there were instead two unauthorized guests beside his patient’s bed. 

  
“Just what are you two doing here with my patient... oh, I see. You are Gwen and Kevin if I am not mistaken. Were you two given permission to be in here? Where are the nurses?” He walked up to them, still giving them a suspicious eye.

  
“We sent the nurses running... You said Ben is your patient? Please tell us what happened to him. Please.” The pleading, desperate look in Gwen’s eyes made the doctor’s initial protests falter. He supposed that since this was a family member asking, he could make an exception. He’d already given Magister Tennyson a full report on Ben Tennyson’s injuries anyway.

  
“Very well. Are you prepared to hear the details on what is known so far? Young Tennyson was sexually assaulted yesterday afternoon. He has suffered a linear fracture on the parietal bone of his skull, extensive bruising on his wrists and hips, a dislocated right wrist, multiple concussions ranging from mild to severe, significant blood loss primarily from a gash in his shoulder and skull fracture, and... bleeding from an anal fissure.” The doctor bowed his head to regain his composure after listing the injuries inflicted on the universe’s teen hero. Kevin stood still for a moment, eyes and mouth wide open, before fainting. Gwen put her hands on her face and sobbed.

  
“... Who is the psychotic monster that did this to him?” Gwen spluttered through tears.

  
“As of right now, we are unsure of the aggressor’s identity. But we retrieved semen samples off of Ben’s body earlier and they are being analyzed in the forensics room. All we can do now is wait for him to regain consciousness, and for the results of the DNA testing. He is currently under diamorphine, and will likely be disoriented even when he wakes up. I’ll leave you two for now; Ben’s vitals are stable. I trust that you will press the button beside his bed if anything happens. Take care.” The doctor left just as Kevin awoke and stood up. Gwen and Kevin grabbed chairs from the corner of the room and sat down beside the omnitrix wearer, both very upset and in shock. Gwen lightly stroked the top of his left hand with her thumb, tears still running down her face.

  
“I can’t believe this happened to you, Ben. You’ve got a heart of gold behind your immature personality and everyone knows it. Who would do this to you?” Gwen muttered, mostly to herself. Kevin suddenly stood up.

  
“I’m gonna go to the forensics room and see what’s up with the DNA testing. You staying here with Benji? I wanna find out who did this, but I won’t be gone long. Call me, ‘kay?” Gwen only nodded as Kevin placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek, then quickly walked out with an air of determination. Gwen sat there for a few more minutes, zoned out while still gently cradling her cousin’s hand. It suddenly twitched, startling the anodite out of her trance. She stared at Ben’s face, noticing his eyelids subtly trying to open. She peered down at him with nervous relief when they opened and focused on her. He seemed very confused and dazed.

  
“Mmm...” Was all Ben could manage. He stared at her with barely open eyes.

  
“Ben you’re awake! I’m so sorry. I’m here for you now. I’m going to find the sick, twisted, demented psychopath who did this to you. I should have never left for college. Can you tell me who did it? Was it someone we both know?” The anodite wiped at her face, trying to get rid of the tears. She had to be stronger for Ben. He started coughing, and she realized that he was probably really dehydrated. She hurriedly got up, grabbed a plastic cup and straw, filled it with water, and held it beside her cousin. He quickly drank it and sighed in minor relief. He stared at her for a while before giving her a tiny nod to her previous question.

  
“I can’t imagine which one of the dozens of lowlife villains we’ve fought could be sociopathic enough to do this to you.” Gwen seethed, anger and vengeance replacing sadness. Ben stared at his cousin with a slightly scrunched up and conflicted expression for a while. His throat was still sore and the analgesics were wearing on his consciousness. His life went from boring and mundane to a huge mess. He didn’t even know what to think anymore.

  
“......... R-Rook....” he finally stuttered, with much reluctance.

  
“I’m not sure where Rook is, I haven’t heard or seen anything of him; I just got here about an hour ago. Is he out on call by himself since you’re here? Did you want me to get him for you?” She tilted her head as she questioned him. She was thrown for a loop when Ben’s eyes widened and he began to cry. He meagerly shook his head as much as he could physically bear. Rook was the very last person he wanted to see right now.

  
“Oh?! Ben please don’t cry, I’m sorry!” She frantically apologized while placing a hand on his cheek to stop him from shaking his head. He calmed down slightly, sniffling and still crying a little bit. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get rid of the anxiety that had risen in his stomach.

  
“I’m sorry Ben, you’re obviously still extremely tired and I’m here being inconsiderate, antagonizing you with questions when you’ve only just woken up. I’ll let you sleep and I’ll come back later okay? I’ll even bring you chili fries if I can get them past the nurses.” She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and got up. She stroked his hair before turning, but before she could take press the assistance button, her wrist was in Ben’s weak grasp. She turned to look at him again, and was surprised by his sudden determined face.

  
“ _Rook_.” He whimpered, giving her a hard stare. The anodite was confused. When she offered to get Rook for him not too long ago, he’d started bawling. Why was he...? Oh _god_. He had answered her first question in the beginning. Gwen’s eyes widened at the realization. How could she have been so stupid?

  
“Ben... oh my god. Are you on too much morphine? Oh my god.” Gwen leaned down next to her abused cousin and gingerly gathered him into a hug as he sobbed.

  
“I... just, why... Gwen... don’t let anyone hurt him... I want to know why.” Ben lethargically mumbled against his cousin’s shirt.

  
“You really do have a heart of gold, Ben...” Gwen murmured into her cousin’s hair as she sobbed along with him.


	4. Chapter 4

Kevin Levin and Max Tennyson stood next to one another as they observed the forensic plumbers frantically working away. They’d been there for around half an hour, and were both getting impatient despite being very aware that DNA testing takes time. This was unacceptable; they needed answers right then and there. The lead forensic lab worker suddenly stood up from their monitor station with a piece of paper, and nervously walked over to the two stern looking men. 

“The results - they’re here. But we... might have made an error due to the rush in our process though... this doesn’t seem right at all...” The lab worker stammered, hoping that he wouldn’t get yelled at.

“Whadda ya mean ‘doesn’t seem right’?! What’s the problem?!” Kevin barked.

“Well... according to our results, the DNA actually matches a plumber that works within the Plumber’s base, instead of a criminal, which is more so what we’d been anticipating... please Magister Tennyson, just give us more time and we’ll provide you with the correct results! This plumber must have come in contact with our samples prior to testing them!” The lead lab technician cowered.

“Are you serious? Please just tell us who it supposedly is. We’ll find and humanely interrogate him while you do a re-test, and you can get back to me with the secondary trial results!” Max exclaimed, exasperated.

“Okay okay! The results state that the supposed malefactor is plumber #258, Rook Blonko.” The lab worker flinched as he finished his sentence, expecting to be reprimanded for accusing the very reputable plumber as the one who sexually assaulted Max Tennyson’s grandson. Kevin and Max both gaped at the worker, staring at him as if he had started speaking Dutch. The two angry men then glanced at each other for a moment, giving the other a look that spoke a thousand words. They both began hurriedly walking towards the living quarters. 

“Do you believe it?” Kevin bewilderedly questioned Max.

“I don’t know, Kevin. I’ll believe it when I hear it from Rook himself. He has always been an honest person... considering he was the one to have brought Ben in, it is likely that he did indeed come in contact with the samples.” Max pondered. Suddenly, Kevin’s phone rang; both men stopped in their tracks, and the osmosian was quick to answer it.

“Gwen! The DNA testing is done, they got us a lead! ... What? You already know for sure? ... So there’s no denying it then?! ... Oh we’re not going to, don’t worry...” Kevin then hung up.

“What did Gwen have to say?” Max pried.

“Ben woke up a while ago. He told her that Rook was the one who... who did all that nasty stuff to him... So there’s no denying it, Grandpa Max. The DNA results are dead on. But why did he do it? I thought I’d finally found an awesome dude who liked technology as much as I do. She said that Ben doesn’t want anyone hurting him either. He’s gotta be as pure as he is annoying.”

The two continued walking to the living quarters as a million conflicting thoughts swarmed through Max’s mind. They soon arrived in front of Rook’s door, and Max tentatively knocked. They waited a couple of minutes, with no answer. Kevin absorbed the metal off the wall and formed a blade with his arm to tear the door down, when Max stopped him.

“I have the authority to search any room without a warrant in this base. No destroying necessary.” Max remarked to a confused Kevin, who then backed off. A card was waved in front of the door, which slid open immediately. It was dark, save for a red night light in the corner. Max flipped the lights on and the two men gasped in unison, as the first thing their eyes were greeted with was a terrifying amount of blood marring the steel floor of the revonnahgander’s room. They took a couple more reluctant steps in, and noticed briefs strewn in a corner alongside what were unmistakably Ben’s brown trousers. 

“Good lord. Rook must have taken Ben to the infirmary and left the Plumber’s base immediately after. A nurse told me he was brought only in his t-shirt. There are only briefs and pants here. The evidence is plentiful; the DNA confirms it, the clothes confirm it, the blood all over the floor confirms it, and Ben himself confirmed it.” Max remarked sedately.

“Rook was the one that brought him there?! Jeez. I guess at least he had a little bit of humanity left in him. But it looks like a crime scene you’d see in a movie here. Kinda weird. I thought Rook was a smart dude...” Kevin mulled.

“He is. You and I both know that Rook wasn’t trying to pull off a sexual assault. I think we should hold off on confronting him; I’m aware that that sounds blasphemous and out of conduct, but... I need to look into a few things first. Regardless, this room is a crime scene, and it needs to be locked up to prevent any possible tampering. You should go visit Ben and Gwen. I’ll be there in a little bit after I’ve done some research.” Taking the hint from Max, Kevin left the room and headed towards the infirmary.

____________

Gwen had told her cousin that Kevin was there too, but he’d gone off to the forensics lab shortly before Ben had woken up. He’d panicked, figuring it would only be a matter of time before they found out who assaulted him, so Gwen had called Kevin to make sure he took heed of the teen hero’s will. 

“There is literally zero chance that Kevin will do anything out of line. He’s with grandpa, so there’s nothing to worry about, alright?” It was strange, Gwen was not used to having to comfort her usually cocky and overconfident cousin. He nodded and lay back down on his side. Suddenly, the doors opened and Kevin entered, sitting back down on a chair with a contemplative look.

“Hey Benji, glad to see you’re awake. And don’t gimme that look, I didn’t do nothin’ wrong. Apparently Rook isn’t even here in the base; your grandpa wanted to look into a few things before anyone goes out to find him. So me and Gwen are gonna stay here and hang out with you until he comes here.” Ben gave him a withered look.

“Kevin, you just got here 10 seconds ago and you’re already annoying him.” Gwen quirked a brow at her boyfriend. Ben began coughing again, so she refilled the cup and gave it to him. 

“You probably shouldn’t even be awake right now eh? Take a nap buddy; we’re right here if ya need anything.” Kevin moved the cup off of the hospital cot.

“Th... thanks Kev.” Ben hesitantly murmured. Within minutes, his eyes were closed and he was dozing off. Gwen and Kevin waited a good 10 minutes to make sure he was sleeping before making a sound.

“So... what was it that grandpa Max wanted to research so urgently that he put off looking for Rook?” 

“I’m not sure actually. I kinda just left him to his own devices. Didn’t wanna question him over that. It’s gotta be crazy difficult keeping a poker face doin’ your job while your grandkid is suffering...” Before Kevin could say anything else, the man in question entered the room.

“I found research on something along the lines of what I’d already had a hunch on. Is Ben asleep?” Max questioned warily.

“Yeah, he fell asleep around 10 minutes ago. What were you researching?” Gwen, all for new knowledge, was overly curious about what grandpa Max was on to.

“I did some research on revonnahgander anatomy and physiology. You both know that Rook’s species is extremely tradition-based right? It turns out that for the past four years, Rook has been of the age where his kind is supposed to... well, mate. Instead of doing that however, he has spent that time focusing entirely on becoming a plumber. As it is completely unheard of for revonnahganders to even abandon their farming life on their home planet, there is little to no information on the consequences of neglecting their coming of age instincts. Yet I don’t think we need a textbook to tell us what the consequences are now, do we? It seems that he must have been silently supressing his urges for a long time, and they have finally caught up to him after bottling them in for so long. In retrospect to yesterday morning, that may explain why he seemed so off kilter.” Max inhaled, not yet done speaking but out of breath.

“That’s why he didn’t open his door when I knocked. I’m such a fucking idiot. This was my fault.” Ben’s muffled voice was heard through a pillow, scaring the three other occupants in the room.

“Ben?! What happened to sleeping?” Gwen exclaimed.

“Ben, don’t you ever put the blame on yourself. None of us could have ever known that Rook has been psychologically unstable. If he hadn’t lost himself yesterday, he would have sometime later down the road. Ultimately, Rook should have informed the Plumber’s Academy on his first day that this was a shortcoming his species possessed.” Max lectured his miserable grandson.

“But I pretty much broke into his personal space when he wouldn’t answer the door! Normal people don’t do that. That’s not even legal! If I hadn’t-”

“Ben! Like I said, if he hadn’t let his urges take over now, it would have happened later regardless. There was unfortunately no way for us to know this because he didn’t take the responsibility to tell anyone. There is next to no information known regarding revonnahganders or Revonnah itself; they are very reclusive. Now that we have some idea, we are going to locate him, okay? Gwen and Kevin, I suggest you come with me. I already have his location pinpointed.” Max then pressed the nurse call button, and within a minute, several nurses entered the room.

“Grandpa! Please don’t do anything rash. Please...” Ben whimpered as the nurses delivered another dose of morphine into his system.

“We promise nothing bad will happen, Benji. Stay strong, ya hear?” Kevin exclaimed before he and Gwen were pushed out of the room by an annoyed doctor.


	5. Chapter 5

It hadn’t taken the renowned plumber long to find Rook, given that he’d kept his badge on his person. Part of him knew that the revonnahgander wanted to be found. Jittering hands clenched on the wheel, he tracked the location to one of the city’s parks. Far off, hunched over on a bench, was the blue-furred perpetrator. As he approached with unsteady footing, Max reigned in his anger for the trauma he’d subjected his grandson to, in order to address the situation at hand.

_ Deep breaths. You have your duties as magister to carry out first and foremost. _

“You were okay with trying to repress your urges, knowing you could jump anyone at any time?!”

He was doing a great job of conducting himself professionally. Rook’s posture uncharacteristically seized up even more as he winced.

“I am ready to hear your reasoning, and if I find it unacceptable, you’ll be spending the rest of your days in the null void!”

Rook uncurled from his defensive position and let out a shaky breath. 

“I did not get them until last week! I figured that being away from my people and others my age dropped me out of sync. We have some very hivemind-like characteristics when it comes to mating. Of-age revonnahganders begin to release hormones when they find someone they wish to mate with, and their desired partner in turn releases hormones to reciprocate and begin their bond. I myself did not know that my body would react so poorly to not having a mate by now. It was only in the last week that I began releasing hormones… around Ben. It took me off guard. I am sorry - but I know that nothing I do will take back everything I have done. If I had known I would do something so despicable, I would have have had this information put on my file!”

Max’s hands clenched and unclenched as he tried his best to sort the information he’d received. 

“What was your mental state the morning I dismissed you from duty for the day?”

“It felt like I was becoming intoxicated. I had dressed out of my work clothes in favour for something more comfortable, to hopefully sleep for a while and recover. But I had been in denial of what I had suspected. Ben entering my quarters was unforeseen on my part, and I lost jurisdiction over my entire nervous system when he did. I understand if you wish not to believe me.”

He hung his head low, and the legendary plumber faltered in his anger. It was silent for a few minutes, before he came to a conclusion.

“Return to headquarters tomorrow - your room is currently prohibited from use, and I need time to settle the rumours and unrest.”

Without giving the astonished alien a chance to even balk, the elder Tennyson was stalking back to his truck.

* * *

When Max returned to the base, his granddaughter was immediately flanking him. She stared with a look that expected a briefing. He blew air from his nostrils at her nosy nature.

“It was as we’d discussed. This has taught me to begin more thorough research on lesser known alien species. I suppose I’ll never stop learning things, even at this age.”

“So did he just not want to come back here then? What’s happening now?”

“I told him to make himself scarce until tomorrow. I’ll be telling the forensics lab that they were right on their first assumption of tampered samples, and that I will be handling the rest of the investigation.”

Gwen stared skeptically.

“You’re giving him a chance then.”

“Gwen… in the short amount of time he has been employed here, he’s had Ben’s back countless times. I know dedication; he lives and breathes it. If it were anyone else, they would never see the light of day again - but this second chance is conditional on what Ben himself decides. He may have insisted we not punish Rook, but I would like to wait until he is cognizant enough to reiterate his decision.”

The anodite nodded temperately, but was interested in doing some sleuthing separate from her grandpa. She gave him a hug which he gratefully returned, before heading off to find her boyfriend and the revonnahgander.

* * *

Finding him the same simple way her grandpa did, they approached his proto-truk that was reformed into a camper and parked in an abandoned lot. Before they could knock on the side, Rook was opening the back and stepping out. He stared solemnly.

“I saw your badges getting close. Did Magister Tennyson send you to enact penalty?”

The redheaded Tennyson felt conflicted on guilt and rage from seeing his face. She chose to follow in her grandpa’s footsteps and steel her temper.

“We wanted to get more information out of you. Would you have done what you did to Ben, to anyone who entered your room yesterday?”

“No. I do not know what I would have done - there is a good chance I may have engaged in combat, but not…” 

He didn’t want to finish his sentence, and they weren’t keen on him saying it either.

“So you chose Ben? Why?”

“That is difficult for me to answer. This entire time I have been oblivious - we are not taught of our mating tendencies until it comes close to the time when they begin. As I left years before that milestone, I do not have the complete understanding. I would need to speak with my parents on the more detailed aspects of this. I believe that there must be an attraction for a revonnahgander to choose, but there is a natural draw to a mate as well. Being naturally drawn to Ben could perhaps have to do with my distance from Revonnah, or this could have been a predisposed outcome for myself. Many of my kind never find a mate, and perish alone… we always assumed it was the cruel nature of life. It would make sense that the reasoning for that is because their match lies beyond our home planet.”

Gwen nodded speculatively, and narrowed her eyes.

“Will this be happening again?... what you did to Ben.”

Rook crossed his arms insecurely.

“No. It was never meant to happen - it stemmed from hormone encumberment. Now that I have so shamefully and forcefully  _ mated _ with him, and I realize there is an enormous problem with myself, it will not happen again.”

“Alright… so do your kind not have repeat urges? What are you, semelparous?”

Kevin cocked his head, but didn’t interject.

“I would be dead if that were the case. We do have ‘repeat urges’, but if or once they come up again, I will resign as a plumber and return to Revonnah. I do not deserve to be here or in Ben’s presence any longer.”

The osmosian put a hand up.

“Just hold up there. Maybe there’s a way to avoid that… the first part, anyway. Go back to your home planet and get more info on this mating shit, grandpa Max ain’t about to put you back to work for a while. With Ben outta commission, me n Gwen will be covering some of the stuff you’d normally be sent to do. Things need to blow over and no offense man, but with you outta sight it’ll go way smoother for everyone.”

Rook inhaled, but nodded sedately. It was obvious how much disorder he’d already caused as it stood.

“I… worry for the state I have rendered Ben. Both physically and emotionally.”

“Well it’s obviously not good, man. You can’t change that. I can tell ya now that it’ll be better if he doesn’t see you for a while. Ten bucks says grandpa Max’s got the same thing in mind, guess you’ll find out tomorrow though.”

Gwen affirmed Kevin’s surprisingly sound logic, and they both left without a parting word. Rook sighed and re-entered his proto-truk to hate himself in private.


	6. Chapter 6

Max Tennyson sat by his grandson’s hospital bed, which had been moved from intensive care to a regular recovery room. He was exhausted, but too mentally jumbled to bother going to sleep; he had spent much of the night settling the uproar and clearing the revonnahgander’s name. It wasn’t easy, both because of all the hoops he had to jump through, as well as how part of him didn’t want Blonko to get off so easily. Realistically, he knew that the lower ranking plumber was just as distraught over his actions, and there was no taking them back, so he had to continue grounding himself to avoid making any anger-fueled decisions. 

An almost indiscernible moan from the bed’s occupant diverted his thoughts.

“Ben?”

The omnitrix wearer shifted to face his grandfather with a beat expression, but it was awkward with all of the tubes and cords attached to various parts of his body.

“Grandpa. How are things..?” 

“I should be asking you that. How are _you_ feeling?”

“Sore everywhere… tired, and a bit confused too. That’s probably the meds, huh.”

Max was at a loss of what to say. He’d played out many things in his head, but they weren't coming to mind at the moment. 

“You’ve got a skull fracture…”

That wasn’t one of them. 

“Not surprised. What happened to Rook?”

His grandpa went silent for a moment. Ben wasn’t able to realize how fortunate he was to not have sustained any brain damage.

“He's still been gone since he brought you here, and I told him not to come back until today. I chose to respect your wishes and wait for your verdict before deciding what the consequences were.”

Ben let out a small, relieved huff of air.

“Thanks, grandpa. I just know Rook wouldn’t have done this with bad intentions. Or at all. Sorry for all of this.”

“Ben… I won’t get into the grocery list of reasons why you aren’t to blame. You’re right on the first part though - I spoke to him and did some independent research on his species. I won’t go into details on that either, because you should be resting.” 

With the confirmation of Rook’s safety, the tired hero acquiesced. Max sighed.

_He’s got a strong conscience, but something like this will affect him more than he’ll show on the outside._

* * *

Magister Tennyson was a busy man. As much as he wanted to sit by his grandson’s bedside, he still had to deal with the situation that had caused this. Once a nurse came by and assured him of the hero’s safety, he left in search of his granddaughter. He found her in the headquarter’s cafeteria with Kevin, and they met in the middle with a much needed hug before returning to sit with the osmosian.

“I was far too preoccupied last night to actually consider the next step after clearing the air of any ‘rumours’. Ben woke up not too long ago, and reaffirmed that he didn’t want any negative consequences to befall Rook.”

Kevin and Gwen gave each other a short glance, before the former spoke up.

“We… kinda went to scope him out after you. And said that maybe he should go to his home planet and talk to his folks about the mating and all that jazz. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the guy outta sight for a bit too?”

Max’s eyes widened at the suggestion.

“At the moment, I can’t think of a better solution. It really does seem to be the most logical path. Though we might need to have Rook show himself for a few days first, or all my hard work will go to waste through suspicion by timely disappearance. Were you about to head out for a mission?”

“Yeah. Magister Patelliday stepped in for you and already briefed us.”

“I’ll have to thank him - I’ll be honest, it’s only been one day and I’m already behind on intel. Thank you both for subbing in as well... I really appreciate it. I’m sorry to pull you out of living a normal life for a while.”

“Don’t worry about that, grandpa. We know we won’t ever live normal lives - it’s enough that we get to do normal things on most days. We’ll do whatever needs to be done.” 

_______

Rook had returned shortly after Gwen and Kevin had left the headquarters. Before he could exit his proto-truk, Max called his badge.

“ _I am not sure exactly how many people were let in on your involvement - results are considered confidential, therefore ideally only those with duties tying in with forensics will have caught wind of it. The head of forensics had been doubtful of the initial results, which is fortunate for you. I let him know that the ‘real’ culprit had been identified by myself personally, and that your name had only shown up from the contact you had when you transported Ben to the infirmary - just as he’d assumed. I have removed all samples from the laboratory, and you will see a server-wide announcement from last night stating that the culprit has been detained. There is a subtle inclusion of thanks for your aid in finding him and bringing him in for care. Will you be able to act in tandem with this? All of my effort will be undone if you so much as say or do something to make anyone think you are the true offender.”_

Rook knew better than to say anything that didn’t need to be said at this point and time.

“Yes, Magister Tennyson. Thank you. I will conduct myself accordingly.”

___________

Rook stepped through the doors of the headquarters, and steeled his features to impart only feelings of vague worry. He hoped it would convey his concern over Ben, and not the accompanying guilt he held. To his relief, most of the plumbers he came across on his way to meet Max nodded at him with the same respect they’d held prior. He subconsciously abated his pace once he reached the operations room where the elder plumber was stationed.

“Magister Tennyson… will this jeopardize your position? It is my fault that you are in a position to lie.”

Max scrutinized the revonnahgander’s guilt-stricken visage.

“No. Not in this case. Don’t focus on that - instead, you will do a couple of medial missions - nothing requiring a partner, but nothing so simple that a new recruit could be tasked with. As was suggested by Kevin, you should be making a trip to your home in a couple of days. It is imperative that you are properly educated on your people’s… ‘mating mannerisms’. Especially if they will occur again.”

There was no room for argument or bargaining, but Rook was completely accepting of the arrangement.

“Yes, sir.”

He had so much more to say, but knew he wasn’t in a position to speak any more than was necessary. He just wanted to see Ben - to know if he was okay - but doing so could bring both of them pain, especially not knowing what condition his partner in crime was left in.

________________

Rook entered his room to see it returned to its former condition. He’d been propositioned to have occasional supervision by none other than Kevin, but had turned it down at the insistence that he would be in contact the moment he felt off. Luckily, the missions he partook in were mundane, yet tedious enough to keep his mind from wandering and pass the time quicker. He hadn’t gone near the infirmary, and felt that he had no right to. He didn’t want to risk stepping out of line and angering anyone, but the guilt was eating him alive. 

He sent a message to Kevin, with the osmosian being the most comfortable person he could confide in given the circumstances. He didn’t receive a reply, but later the next evening when he was in his room alone with his thoughts, Kevin paid him a visit.

“Ben’s got some gnarly injuries from you, but he’s stable. He’s still got no hard feelings either, dunno if he’s still in shock or anything though. I ain’t a therapist. If I brought you to his room, would your feral alien instincts take over or somethin’?”

“Absolutely not! It took a while for… _those_ to get to that point. But I did not realize at the time - I am not trying to excuse my actions in any way.”

“Relax dude. I shouldn’t have joked about it. He does want to see you, but yeah. None of us really knew if it was a good idea, or if he’d have some sort of freakout when he saw you. He keeps askin’ though, so let’s go. Maybe he’ll be sleeping.”

_____________

Ben was in a doze - well, between doses of painkiller. Meaning he couldn’t really doze anymore with the dull pain flaring throughout the back of his head. He sat up and sighed in annoyance. He had half a mind to ask for an alien with healing abilities to be delivered to his room. Before he could go on a nonsensical internal tangent, his room door opened. His eyes zeroed in on the taller of the two, prompting both of them to steel themselves for an unpredictable reaction.


	7. Chapter 7

Rook and Ben were extremely cautious as they eyed the other up, unsure of where either’s disposition stood. Neither knew what move to make, or who should break the silence. Kevin stood just outside the closed door, in order to not seem overbearing, but still close by to moderate their interactions.  Through Ben’s medications and headache, he was able to deduce that the ball was more in his court. It was painfully obvious how remorseful his partner was, and he was clearly tripping over his own thoughts trying to string words together, but was too scared that he would do more damage by opening his mouth.

“Rook, don’t beat yourself up over this. I’m not mad at you. I’m actually glad you came here.”

The revonnahgander stumbled forward, as if he'd been itching to hear those words, and kneeled at the other’s bedside.

“How could I not beat myself up? That is only a fraction of a punishment fit for me. Words cannot describe how wrong I am. If someone were to tell my past self that I would become such a terrible excuse for a living being, I would have taken them to a mental institution. I clearly am not in a stable mind, and am nothing more than a filthy reprobate. Whatever you think may help alleviate what I’ve done, please let me know so it can happen. After that, I will be clearing a more adequate punishment from Magister Tennyson.”

Ben put a hand up to stop him from spiralling further down his tangent of despair. It was stressing him out - he hated seeing his friend like this.

“You can stop beating yourself up, for starters... that would help. What I want is for you to just  _ chill _ . I know it’s hard with all the guilt, but that’s all I’m asking for right now. Look… if you’d meant to do it, I would definitely hate you and want you to beat yourself up. I know I’m dense sometimes, but I’ve got confidence in that at least!”

Rook stared down at a random spot on the hospital bed, and mulled over what the omnitrix wielder said. He felt even worse that he’d been pushing the guilt on him - just when he didn’t think it possible to be more of a burden… he heeded Ben’s words and broke out of his looping negative thoughts. 

“I am sorry. I realize it will not be possible for things to be the same as they once were.”

“Not true, in my eyes. Well, not exactly true. But… it’ll take time. Rook, what the hell happened?”

The question wasn’t spoken with a harsh tone, but it still cut the blue alien regardless.

“Ben. I will be leaving for Revonnah tomorrow, because I do not know for sure myself. Or, more that I have a vague understanding, but what I did was because I did not understand it anywhere near adequately enough.”

Ben sat up in his bed, feeling like he was punched in the gut by this unexpected piece of information.

“No. Why are you leaving?! Grandpa said he had everything covered!”

Rook put his hands up and almost made to comfort the other, before pulling them back the moment he remembered his place.

“Please do not fret, I am not leaving for good. I am leaving under the guise of a longer term mission to help with amber ogia plantations - everything has been arranged officially. The reality of it is that I must speak with my family about our species. Magister Tennyson suspects that I was sorely misinformed due to how young I was when I left Revonnah.”

The hero stared at his hands sadly - admittedly, it was hard looking his partner in the eye at this point in time. Whatever had caused all of this to happen between them must be a pretty big deal for him to be visiting his home planet. Under false pretences, no less. The only explanation that Ben could think of was that Rook had been beguiled or infected by one of their enemies, by something that revonnahganders have a particular vulnerability to.

“So you’re not moving back then. How long will you be gone?”

“I do not know for sure. Magister Tennyson will have more information than I.”

A knock jolted both of them from their deep conversation, and Kevin stepped in.

“You didn’t ask, but I stuck around to keep watch over things. There are nurses coming down the hallway, and I dunno if they’re stopping by here. Time for us to scram, Blonko. See ya later, Benji!”

He snatched the stunned revonnahgander’s wrist in a firm grip, before briskly trailing out of the room. The osmosian spoke up once they were out of earshot.

“It’s better that things ended there.”

There hadn't been a single nurse in the hallway. Rook nodded wordlessly in agreement.

__________________________

The next morning, Rook had departed early, and was well out of the exosphere before the sun had risen. For various reasons, he hadn’t been able to stay asleep for very long, and he didn’t feel like reiterating his faux mission to anyone passing by if he’d left on schedule. Before all of this had happened, avoiding others had been the furthest of his interests. But he didn't feel worthy of social interaction anymore, and he didn't want to waste the dawn. He needed answers, and he couldn’t help but blame time for hindering them. It was an immature thought, but he’d never been more impatient in his life.

What was usually a short ride felt like eons, and he finally breached the atmosphere of Revonnah. Once he was properly landed, he exited the ship and made his way to his family home. No one was around his landing site to greet him, because only his family had been notified of his arrival, and even then he’d arrived early. It was later in the evening, so he deduced that they’d likely be heading for bed. He knocked on the door, and after hearing rapid footpads and his father’s admonishing voice, it swung open. 

“Brother!”

Rook Da appeared a moment later, exasperated with his youngest.

“You are earlier than I expected - we would have sent them to bed sooner if we had known. Come in, son. Let me just put Rook Ben to bed, where he was  _ mere moments _ ago.”

“I was awake anyway! Can I not stay up and talk with Blonko?”

Ben’s shoulders were grabbed, and the elder pivoted the young revonnahgander’s body away from the door.

“You will see him tomorrow. He is not simply here to visit.”

Blonko’s stomach dropped at the vocalization of his youngest sibling’s name. It was like a stab in the gut to hear. He forced the most genuine smile he could towards his sibling as he was carted off into his bedroom. His father returned and he motioned for the table, but Rook didn’t want to risk the rest of his family overhearing. His hands had quickly started clamming up from his nervous sweating.

“It is still quite nice outside, and I could use a break from all of the sitting I have done today.”

Rook Da nodded in understanding. Rook Bralla emerged from the rest of her children’s bedrooms, and they went outside to stand beneath the sky. Blonko’s mother approached him with warm eyes.

“We are very happy to see you, Blonko. It is odd that we were not informed of the reason for your arrival, though. Is it dire?”

The plumber momentarily avoided their gazes, which sent them the wrong message. Fear began to creep up their spines, but luckily their son spoke up.

“I do not think I was ever properly informed of our people’s biology. Specifically, the mate part.”

Bralla and Da eyeballed their son in alarm, before glancing at each other. The latter spoke up in a confused daze.

“Am I to assume that the mission was a lie, if you are asking us this?”

Blonko sighed. The anxiety in his stomach was building.

“Yes… my true intention was to consult with you both. About subjects that I feel I was not informed on when I should have been.”

Their facial features flattened in unison, signifying their guilt.

“Due to your intentions to leave our home, we did not think it was necessary. We were under the assumption that your desire to mate would not awaken, considering the complete absence of potential partners beyond Revonnah.”

Rook’s fur bristled. Despite having been in the dark, he could tell them right there and then that they’d assumed wrong.

“There are many things I am not sure of on this topic, but one thing I am sure about, is that  _ it did awaken _ .”

Again, in unison, he watched his parent’s faces morph into a myriad of unpleasant emotions. His dad was the first to regain his psychological footing.

“Did you copulate with a human female?!”

“No…”

They sighed with relief.

“A human male. Against his will.”

Their diaphragms punched any residual air left in their lungs. Rook had been coating the inside of his proto-tech armour with sweat since they’d walked outside. The moment he'd feared most was upon him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliff with anxious vibes  
>  ~~oops~~
> 
> I don't think I've left a chapter note thing before, but I really appreciate the comments I've gotten!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost all dialogue, in depth family birds and bees talk kinda hooplah. Not really lol, but I wanted to have the universe mating headcanons thoroughly explained as best as could be 🥺

Rook stood there for a few moments, trying to gauge the range of negative emotions likely flashing through his parent’s minds. He decided to continue, and hope that they would at least let him finish before running him off of Revonnah.

“I did not want to inform you of this, but even with what honour I have left, I could never lie to either of you. And I understand if you wish to disown me for my transgressions. I only ask that you please explain how our species operates in their mating processes so that I  _ never _ commit such an atrocity again.”

Their strained visages finally settled on bearing a look of shame. It was their own misconceptions that led to their son’s actions and ensuing grief.

“We failed you, Blonko. We would never disown you, when it was our fault at the root of it all. It was our duty as your parents to guide you through development as a revonnahgander. There was no way you could have expected to know this was something that could even happen, when we neglected to educate you on the matter.”

“Even though I have some anger towards you both for leaving me ignorant… I still… the ‘urges’, or whatever they truly are, went on for a while; I resisted them for months. I did not say anything to anyone, therefore it is my fault that I committed such an act of cruelty, when I knew something was not right about myself. I had the agency to contact you all, or tell Magister Tennyson. Either option was feasible and would have prevented this. Regardless… thank you for not casting me out of the family. I find it difficult to feel deserving of life in this time, but my core need and requirement to make things as right as I can still drives my motivation. So please... I need your guidance now, even though it is several years late.”

He didn’t even want to bring up who he had forced himself onto - that was another can of worms he wasn’t ready for. He’d expected his parents to be outraged with him, and was astonished by their non-hostile reaction. Despite his earlier statement of not wanting to lie, as long as they didn’t ask who it was, he hopefully wouldn’t have their disappointment on his shoulders. It was already unbearable to have his higher up/Ben’s grandfather/someone who trusted him so affected by what he’d done, let alone Ben himself. From his peripherals, he spotted a small blue being peep from the door.

_ Ben…  _

His parents noticed, and Bralla quickly shuffled towards their home to put their youngest back to bed again. Da looked Blonko directly in the eyes, which conveyed the depth in how this situation affected him. 

“Son… you were clueless as to what was going on. We mate very differently than how humans do, and being so disengaged in your own species' matters, it is no wonder that you did not tell anyone. You were confused. That is how we all feel when our urges leave dormancy - and this is  _ despite _ having been thoroughly educated on them prior. The fact that you resisted them for so long only reinforces how strong of a being you are. I believe that with time, you will be able make peace with what transpired, and your determination to be a good person will also bring amendment with whoever it is that caused your urges to surface.”

Blonko wasn’t someone who cried - instead of feeling sad, he always sought optimism in the worst of situations. This was a different sad, and it was liberating to release some of his pent up grief at the reality of the best case scenario coming true. He just wanted to know how he could prevent himself from ever losing control again. Bralla reemerged from inside and made forward to comfort her son.

“Blonko… do not anguish over this. Since you are here, and have no official business, we will do what we should have done a long time ago. As well, we are _always_ here for you. Do not bottle up your feelings. We take full responsibility over what you did on Earth, so please ease some of the burden from your shoulders. It does not reflect who you are as a person at all - only ourselves.”

Rook acquiesced to his parents’ words, and vowed he would make it up to Ben, as well as everyone else he affected by his actions. They made their way inside, with Bralla immediately busying herself in the kitchen. They all sat at the table with warm amber ogia leaf tea to comfort themselves, but mostly their son. Bralla spoke up once she’d felt that they were all relaxed enough to begin the talk.

“The desire to mate, in the normal circumstances that it happens, typically surfaces between 16 to 18. I believe you were a late bloomer in that regard, as you only recount it starting in the past few months after your 20th birthday? There is not much to tell you that you did not pick up on your own from friends or other family… aside from the darker aspects that are not discussed so freely. As you know, hormones were  _ previously known _ to only excrete when in proximity to their mate, and only until his mate’s body reciprocates. In a way, it truly does make mating simple for our species, as we lose the agency to be able to rifle through options; our hormones guarantee ideal pairings. This is how the majority of us revonnahganders lives’ will play out, and while it is very rare that the female does not respond instinctually, it does happen. This also applies to same sex relationships as well, and why we do not face the same issue of intolerance that I hear humans do. While reproduction is obviously the crux of our reason to mate, we also believe that all pairings were equally meant to be. Revonnahgander belief has always been that not all are chosen to reproduce, and it is a privilege rather than a right.”

Da took his wife’s pause as an opportunity to step in.

“Again, we refrained from sitting you down and explaining these crucial details, as we foolishly assumed you would not be mating as long as you were on Earth.”

They were very insistent on enunciating their reason for not telling him, and he couldn’t blame them. Everyone at the table had guilt to bear.

“It also did not cross our minds that you would be part of the tiny fraction of revonnahganders with unfavourable mate situations such as non-reciprocation… we can only assume that this is where your situation falls, being that humans do not release hormones to secure a mate. Were you feeling these ‘urges’ to only the male in question, multiple males, or both genders? This can happen too, and these revonnahganders live the same isolating existence forced upon a non-reciprocated one.”

Rook was slow to respond, and his demure voice signified how worn out he was.

“Just the male in question. The feelings, which I suppose are the release of hormones, are very bearable when he is not in close proximity.”

“Yes. Then you not only have a case of non-reciprocation, but it is with a human male. I do wonder if it can even be called that, given _Homo_ _sapiens_ vastly different culture and their inability to sense hormones the way we do. You always did stand up against the odds in everything you did, Blonko. I am not too surprised that you have such a unique mating quandary.”

Unique wasn't the word he would personally use to describe it.

“I see… could it be correct that those with hormones that are never triggered, failed to do so because of their destined being beyond Revonnah?”

“Until today, I would have been very confident in telling you no. Now, it could be that some have mates on any other planet, be it even Anur Transyl or Vilgaxia. We could speak with the village doctor tomorrow, if you wish.”

“No! No. I am not so sure that it would be a good idea for anyone to know. It honestly does not matter to me, as long as there is a way to stop this hormone madness. Please tell me that the ones whose instincts ended up choosing the wrong person still lived fulfilling lives…”

Bralla put a hand on her son’s shoulder.

“They must abstain from contact with who their instincts have chosen, or they will fall to them and take their chosen mate by force… as you have done. For those who are unable to find purpose and passion in other facets of life, it is a miserable existence - a feeling of constant emptiness. Now that you have given into your urges, you will not be able to keep them at bay as you have before. If cutting this human out of your life is not an option for you with your work, you can seek medicines with the ability to temporarily suppress hormonal output and sensibility. They are not produced here, but I am certain that you may find what you need on Earth. However, Blonko… they should not be used as a long term solution. Please keep that in mind.”

It was definitely something he could find on Earth - it had remedies that could block, add or remove any known hormone. His head felt a bit lighter with the small comfort of being able to keep himself under control for the time being, but knowing that he would have to eventually leave Bellwood and possibly feeling empty inside was daunting all the same.

“Your mission is officially one week, am I correct? Something tells me that you were sent here under the impression that you would not be back sooner or later.”

“Correct. It would do me well to spend the rest of my time here with you all, and it would help with my current mental state. I realize now that I need to be as level headed as I can upon my return; I think Magister Tennyson knew this.”

“If he has gone through this much trouble to aid and protect you, then I believe it warrants hope that he still thinks highly of you. Apologies won’t fix anything, but we want you to know how sorry we are for neglecting to educate you.”

_ They say this without knowing just who it was that I forced myself onto. I still wonder if their tune would change if they had that information. _

* * *

Rook spent the week there, under the guise that he was using up his paid time off to visit family. Ben in the meantime spent the week recovering from his fracture - the head injury was diagnosed as mild, meaning he would be unlikely to develop any long term issues from it. The rest of his injuries were minor, only needing rest and supervision for the time being. Even so, he was out of commission for a while. While he had an above average pain threshold and healing ability, he was still human. Thanks to the meticulous medical care he’d been receiving, his skull fracture was two thirds of the way healed already. 

While he’d enjoyed the nostalgia of rewatching old Sumo Slammers episodes, he’d already run through most of them and the magic of it was wearing off. He wanted Rook to come back so they could continue patching things up, and then get back to missions together. He stared down at his hands, remembering the last bits of lingering pain from his dislocated wrist being popped back in, and then all the other injuries he’d sustained. He glanced at his bare shoulder that the hospital gown couldn’t be bothered to cover, then looked away to stop himself from picking at the stitches. They would come out tomorrow, and soon the scab would scar over. 

_ Should I be angry at him for this? Traumatized maybe? I, and the others too, thought that the feelings would have hit me already. I guess I just care for the guy too much to be mad. He had obviously been trying to avoid me when I stormed into his place, and he was so crushed when I talked with him last. I shouldn’t bother trying to think through stuff until I’m not constantly doped up on painkillers, hah…  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rook will see each other again soon, and it will be a long journey for them


	9. Chapter 9

Rook’s week had been as productive as could be, and his parents had been extremely helpful in keeping his thoughts from getting too toxic. It was hard being there, spending most of his time relaxing, when his thoughts kept returning to the fact that Ben was back on Earth with his injuries. It was as if his parents had mood sensors, because Rook Da appeared next to him on the rocky promontory and sat down.

“When you leave today, do so with your head held high, because you are the type that will do whatever it takes to make things right,” he nudged Rook’s side good-naturedly, “I did raise you, after all.” 

* * *

Landing back in the private docking area of the headquarters had his heart racing. The long flight hadn’t been good for his mind, but he’d been doing his best to recall and employ the positive tactics his parents had been reinforcing him with. Once he was fully parked, he exited his ship and painstakingly greeted all of the other plumbers as cordially as he usually did. A quick stop by his room to drop his bags off - that dreaded room where everything went wrong - and he was making his way to the magister’s sector. 

A pause at the doors. He could just come back later, maybe magister Tennyson was busy.

He pushed himself to overcome the cowardly instinct of flight and flashed his badge into the access camera. Usually, whoever was most available would ask what business the plumber had, but instead the doors slid open after the longest few seconds of his life. He stepped inside to see the elderly man at his set of monitors and controls. Max whirled around in his chair to face him with a neutral expression.

“How was your time on Revonnah?”

There didn’t seem to be any trace of resentment on the surface, but the enthusiasm he used to hold while in Rook’s presence was absent. He supposed it was a better reaction to his return than many others would have in his position. The revonnahgander took a moment to quell his nervousness before responding.

“Productive, thank you. My parents were very helpful… there are multiple avenues I can take from here, if you will allow me to explain them.”

He received a small bob of the head signaling for him to continue.

“As I am now… I am a danger to Ben Tennyson. If I were to take medication that reduces my testosterone production, it would eliminate my inability to control myself, but it is not sustainable long-term. Otherwise, another alternative would have to be my relocation or termination of employment here - which I would completely understand.”

“I see… I can have one of the physicians here set you up with a prescription for something,” he spun back towards his monitors to type out a quick message, “you should be able to head there afterward. I’ve let them know of your requirements. We’ll meet again another day to discuss the issue of this solution’s unsustainability.”

“Thank you, magister Tennyson.”

He stood there with the composure of a lost child, before hesitantly turning around to leave. It seemed that Max wanted limited interaction with him.

“Rook.”

An instant halt.

“It wasn’t just some basal urge, was it. Your people don’t operate like that, am I correct?”

…

“No. I have held feelings for him since we began working as partners years ago, but my parents have told me it was a coincidence that he also ended up being the one my mating instincts chose.”

“As I thought.” An inhale, then an exhale. “You made a mistake, but you’re not the type of person to repeat the same one. I know you’re doing your best to ensure my grandson is safe from here on out, and it’s all I can ask of you. Once you have proven that things are under control, you will have regained my full trust.”

The young plumber couldn’t bring himself to turn around. His chest tightened at the supportive words.

“Thank you, magister Tennyson. My appreciation will forever go unparalleled…”

* * *

His trip down to the physician’s branch was surprisingly quick. He told them he needed something to reduce his testosterone output, and they set him up with T-blockers without a fuss. He’d expected a lot of questioning and testing, but suspected that Max had a hand in hurrying along the process. After a detailed explanation on how they worked on humans, he assured them that he would return the moment he noted their ineffectiveness or potential abnormal side effects. 

He returned to his living space on base, and composed an email to Max, who was surprisingly quick to reply.

_ ‘I have spoken with Ben, and he’d like for you to visit him. He is on sick leave for another week, and is currently staying with his parents. They aren’t aware of the actual circumstances behind the injuries; they were told that they were the result of misconduct with a new alien in his omnitrix.’ _

Ben had only recently moved out into his own apartment, so he still remembered where the omnitrix wielder’s parents lived from all the times he’d dropped Ben off after a mission. However, instructions for the particular medication were that the first dose would be ineffective, so he had no choice but to wait until the next day before visiting. It had been almost 2 weeks since him and Ben last texted, and he almost felt like he was breaking some sort of thick wall of tension when he finally sent the message he’d been writing and erasing for the past 15 minutes.

_ ‘Hello Ben, I hope you are doing as well as possible and that the injuries haven’t been giving you trouble. I have returned from Revonnah.’ _

Rook had given up at rewording; there was nothing he could write that would be good enough. He didn’t want to set up the expectation that Ben had to invite him over, in the event that he’d changed his mind since last speaking with his grandfather. Immediately, it was marked as read, and Ben was already replying.

_ ‘Cool! I’ve been suuuper bored lately _

_ Would you be okay with coming over for a bit? Any time works, but if not no worries, I’m sure stuff has piled up since you got back lol’ _

Rook spent a few minutes overanalyzing his message before replying.

_ ‘Not at all, I will drop by shortly.’ _

He hated how cordial they were - he’d enjoyed eventually loosening up with his speech over text with Ben, and it felt like they were strangers again.

* * *

He had intended on taking a moment to breathe and collect his thoughts before ringing the doorbell, but of course Ben had seen him through the window and opened it the moment he’d stepped onto the porch. Rook took a couple steps back, afraid that he was too close and would set the other off. Ben didn’t appear to have noticed, and only smiled and motioned for him to come in.

“I feel like it’s been a while! Wanna just chill and watch a movie? My dad is just in the garage, and my mom is cooking supper.”

It was odd. There didn’t seem to be any trace of distrust or fear in his tone, but the way he was almost  _ too _ nonchalant told the revonnahgander that this was how Ben was choosing to cope. They would absolutely have to have a legitimate talk to make sure he was getting whatever help he needed.  _ Whatever that would even be - there wasn’t much training for mental health in the Plumber’s Academy program. _

_ Should I get straight to the point? I am not sure if sitting around pretending to watch a movie will do us any good, but I am also not sure if bringing it up right away will upset him. _

“Could we perh-”

A hand in front of his face halted his speech.

“I was getting to that…”

Rook’s stomach dropped at the possibility of having already screwed things up. Ben wordlessly made his way to his room, with the revonnahgander hesitantly following. Once inside, Ben shut the door. Everything was still the same as he’d recalled seeing during the few times he’d been in the hero’s room, because his parents had insisted on completely furnishing his apartment with new furniture. Ben sat down on his bed, and Rook opted to sit in the swivel chair at the empty computer desk. 

“I-”

“You-”

…

The taller of the two gestured for Ben to go first.

“I’ve been talking to Gwen and Kevin in the week you’ve been gone, and they’ve been really good to me. Same with grandpa Max. I kind of know about some of the alien…  _ stuff _ about revonnahganders now.”

“Please- you have my word, hurting you has always been the furthest of my intentions.”

“I know, dude. Just… I know. You’re taking some sort of meds now, right? And you literally left the planet to figure things out. I still trust you, I don’t hate you.”

Rook took a good look at the features of the one he'd cared about for years already. It hurt to know that they would no longer be a possibility after everything that had happened, but he vowed to gain his friendship back and make things right at the very least.

_ No more of these thoughts, Blonko. You have long since squandered what miniscule chance you possibly could have had. _

“... how can you not? And how can you trust me after such a thing? I am worried that you are hiding your feelings behind false bravado.”

“Of course I am! Even though I’m trying to act normal, I’m on high alert! But I’ve got support, and I’m not dumb enough to ever think you did what you did for self-gratification. Dude… I literally broke into your room that day. Only an idiot would blame you. I’m definitely a  _ little _ messed up over it, and I’m sure you can tell that I don’t know how to act around you because I keep thinking about what happened and it makes me a bit panicky- I’ll seriously be fine though. I just need time. But I don’t want  _ you _ to get all panicky thinking you need to tiptoe around me. Just…  _ time _ . Sorry, I’m not good at this deep talk but I’ve been hashing it out with Gwen the last couple days trying to get my mind in order.”

It was better than he’d expected; he had been certain he’d get an earful of what a terrible person he was. He had to hand it to the omnitrix wielder, and his family for helping  _ both _ of them so much. Another thing he’d noticed was that the nagging desire he’d been harbouring for Ben the past few months was absent, meaning the medication was working. Things would be okay once they returned to doing missions together - given that the hero wanted to, that is.

“Do not apologize. I will do my best to conduct myself in a way that will not make you uncomfortable, or ‘tiptoe’ as you put it.”

“Cool. I’ll tell you if I’m bothered by something. Gwen said to make sure we have lots of talks to make sure we’re both on the same page at all times too.”

“That is an effective idea for communication. Whatever it may be, you need not hesitate to say.”

Supper had been a bit awkward for the blue-furred plumber, but it eventually became clear that Ben’s parents truly did know nothing about the actual reasoning behind their son’s injuries. It was hard not to feel guilty over the deception, and he did his best to keep his own parent’s mantras in mind, as well as the reasoning behind why Max had also gone through so many pains to keep it under wraps. 

_ Bralla-Da. Will this haunt me for the rest of my life? _

* * *

While Rook had returned to doing missions solo, Ben still took a few more days to rest before returning to plumber HQ. He’d insisted on resuming their team missions, and even though the revonnahgander held his own reservations towards that, they also had an image to keep up unfortunately. If the end goal was to work through things, then it was bound to happen eventually. The selfish part of Rook was looking forward to being near the omnitrix wielder once again, prompting him to double his dose of T-blockers in order to make sure his desires were quelled. They finally approached Rook’s Proto-Truk after a lengthy and exhausting discussion with Max.

“Heh, it feels like it’s been forever. Let’s stop at Mr. Smoothy, I’ve got a specific diet to follow for a bit still.”

A pang of guilt. Rook squashed it immediately.

“Of course.”

Ben took a moment to stare at the tense features of his partner.

“Bro, don’t make it awkward. Just chill.”

He held his fist up, to which Rook cracked a small smile at. He mimicked the action and they met their fists in an amicable bump. 

_ Maybe this healing process will not be so bad. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye, I've got so much in store for these two. Glad to have finally gotten back on my train here. It's been a wild year


End file.
